It is an articulate chronology of the issue, which has reappeared
frequently in national headlines over the past month. Mason advocates for
immediate change, outlining 4 compelling factors that stand in the way of
improving maternal-newborn outcomes while reducing costs: Service Design,
Payment, Workforce Development, and Investment challenges. Each is eloquently described
in common language which calls for immediate reform during the Affordable Care Act
implementation at the state level.

Later the same day, Reuters posted an article
noting that hospitals are doing more to enable and encourage mothers to
breastfeed their babies, including promotion of skin-skin contact and its
benefits to both mother and child. According to the latest data from the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about three-quarters of babies in
the US start out breastfeeding, but only 15% are still exclusively breastfed at
6 months. We have a very long way to go before we achieve optimum continued
breastfeeding rates.

For me, reading these two publications a few hours apart
sent a strong message that the window for change is now! I urge ACNM members
and friends of midwives alike to support changing maternity care in the US by
participating in Midwifery
Advocacy Month. Congress is out of session during the month of August, and
there’s no better time to make a personal connection with your representatives.
Seek them out while they are back in your community. Demand full access to and
reimbursement for evidence-based models of safe, affordable, and satisfying
midwifery care in all settings including the home, birth centers, and hospitals
that promote normal, physiologic birth. Read up on the Quality
Care for Moms and Babies and MOMS 21 Acts, two major
pieces of legislation that ACNM is targeting in our advocacy efforts, and act
now to support them. Please share your voice with your Members of Congress and
encourage them to support these bills.

Midwives, if you have not contacted your state or federal
representatives, or need a new, energizing platform to educate decision-makers
in your place of work, now is the time. Please invite your Members of Congress
to tour your practice (or arrange a meeting at their local offices), and
prepare to discuss the value of midwifery care. If you can’t meet with your
Senators or Representatives personally, meet with their staffers. Print these
recent articles as supplemental materials and go for it! Mention that Kate
Middleton had her first child surrounded by 4 caring midwives through an
11-hour labor without the use of analgesic medications – an example of the
skill and caring of midwife-supported labor and birth. Get the media involved. Hold
an event or fundraiser. At the very least, please make a phone call, send an
e-mail, or write a letter.

For more information about and ways to get involved with
Midwifery Advocacy Month, visit www.midwife.org/midwifery-advocacy-month.
Transformation in maternity care will not occur if we wait for someone else to
do the work. Reach out this month and help change maternity care for the
better!

Any opinions expressed in this blog are those of the individual participant(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the American College of Nurse-Midwives. ACNM is not responsible for accuracy of any of the information provided by guest bloggers and/or members via the Comments section. We welcome all feedback – including comments, ideas and suggestions. We also welcome civil, friendly debates. However, any and all content that is deemed inflammatory or rude will not be posted.